Aug 12, 2016
The 2016 Australian SAP market survey was our first objective review of the SAP talent within Australia. The response was large with over 200 respondents and the insights were fascinating. We were able to present the findings initially to the members of the Precision Sourcing SAP Knowledge Share Group in a Q & A session generating some thought provoking discussion.
Key Findings
Australia has an ageing population of SAP resources with 70% of candidates having more than 10 years’ experience. When you add to this that 69% of the SAP resources originated from outside of Australia it is safe to say that Australia has a challenge ahead in terms of producing their own pipeline of new SAP talent. Considerations clients should be reviewing are engaging in partnerships with overseas partners that have a greater availability of SAP resources. With the right commercial agreements in place there is no reason why a Australian business can’t transit a suppliers resource onto their business pay roll and engage them via a 457 visa.
There is historically a reluctance within Australia for large corporate companies to use the 457 visa process due to the logistics and laborious administration process however if mapped out correctly with a robust identification, interview and induction process the 457 option is a great solution for businesses to accelerate their SAP workforce with some really great talent. Remember a 457 resource will be with you for a minimum of 2.5 years when you take into account the minimum time requirements needed before you can apply for permanent residency. This gives your business ample time to use a potentially great resource before they consider other opportunities.
Another option is to partner with local Universities to identify and attract potential SAP talent. Internships and graduate schemes are a fantastic way to think about the bigger picture and hire skills that will help develop your SAP business long term. We have seen clients focused in other technology sectors conducting road shows within Universities and really entrenching themselves within Universities and colleges through mentoring and internship schemes.
It is also important to understand that there are over 20’000 Australians in Silicon Valley alone. Imagine how much Australian SAP talent is currently overseas with the potential to return to these shores. With the right digital marketing campaign and recruiting partners in place this talent can be engaged and seduced given the right approach i.e. not an advert on Seek or your company website.
What surprised me mostly was the fact that 80% of SAP resources will be looking for a new role in the next 12 months. That is a significant churn if you are reading this as a Programme Director of a large SAP programme. 43% of SAP resources are receiving a minimum of 2 calls per month regarding other opportunities and more than half of all SAP candidates will interview with a minimum of two organisations before selecting or being selected for an opportunity.
So how can you attract and retain SAP talent?
There are a number of strategies but if I was the programme manager of a large SAP market project I would ensure that I was personally digital, online and a brand. 48% of SAP resources found their current role directly through a contact therefore it is essential to be present within the environments that SAP talent associates itself with. Linked-in and twitter are great branding tools and we have seen a huge increase in the number of candidates who now read a hiring managers blog or linked-in profile to try and understand their approach or methodology before an interview. Meet ups, conferences and speaking at events are another successful way to increase your network to ensure people are aware of you, your project or success stories.
Partner with a great SAP recruiter? Love them or hate them but recruiters aren’t going away and they play a vital part. 53% of SAP resources found their current position through a recruiter and they offer a direct line to the market and if you select the right specialist SAP recruitment partner they can add significant value to potential pain points (do you really want to waste time reviewing irrelevant resumes or sitting in interviews with candidates that are completely wrong culturally) allowing you to focus on delivery or stakeholders.
33% of candidates highlighted working with the latest technologies as a real driver. This is clearly evident now in Australia when you consider the number of Sydney and Melbourne based SAP resources who are now commuting to Canberra due to the innovative and complex projects that are coming out of the ACT. Several years ago the majority of Sydney and Melbourne based SAP resources would not consider Canberra so there has been a shift in mind set.
Salary and rates are emotive subjects and obviously a key driver. 66% of SAP resources feel that they are paid fairly and 23% attributed pay as a reason as to why they are currently shelving any thought of leaving their current position. 28% feel that they are underpaid therefore regular salary or rate checks are important to track any discrepancies and ensure your SAP team feel valued. A call to your trusted SAP recruiting partner is all that is needed to ensure you are on point.
33% of SAP market resources communicated that a realistic and achievable career path was a key driver for keeping them onside and engaged in their current position. When you add to this the drive to work with the latest technologies and the importance of pay you have an obvious strategy to retaining SAP resources – pay fairly + career path + interesting work = happy SAP resource.
47% of SAP resources will consider either permanent of contract vacancies however we were able to conclude that what the majority of SAP resources would really like is a permanent position with contractor rates. A handful of Sydney based clients have done this over the years paying significant salaries to exceptional SAP talent ensuring high retention and low churn.
The SAP team at Precision Sourcing have a number of innovative strategies and actions that businesses can implement to ensure they are best equipped in the war for talent within the SAP market. Feel free to get in touch if you have further questions or if you would like to register for the 2017 Australian SAP market survey.
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